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Premonitions: Uncut	By : Hippo_and_Friends_with_Benefits Category: Final Fantasy VII > General Views: 3901 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII, and I am not making any money of of this writing.

Chapter List
- 34
- 35
- 36
Chapter 35: The March North: The Approaching Winter
Cloud awoke yet again. The room was almost pitch black, and he wasn't sure where he was. He had no distinction of what time it was, but he felt as if he had been sleeping forever. He sat up in his bed and placed his feet on the floor. He was barefoot and barechested, wearing only pajama bottoms, and the texture of the floor seemed hard and strange to him.
He could hear the sound of water running in the next room. Cautiously, he got up out of bed and began to head toward the door leading to it.
Where the hell am I now? he asked himself. This is certainly not my bedroom.
As Cloud reached the door, he could tell there was light in the room beyond, and he felt heat as well. Not certain of what to expect, he opened the door and crossed the threshold.
The room was like the tropics. It was full of steam, and it was difficult to see. What Cloud could see is that there were several shower stalls that stood five feet or so high. One of the stalls had the water running.
And a girl was taking a shower there.
"Can you believe it?" Yuffie exclaimed upon noticing that Cloud had entered the room. "They had showers, and they still work!"
Cloud scratched his head.
"I don't think this was somebody's home," Yuffie continued. "I think this might have been some sort of boarding school or a dorm or maybe even a gym."
Cloud remained silent.
"What?" asked Yuffie, before realizing the obvious. "Yes, yes, I'm naked, but there's a covering so nobody can see the good stuff."
"I suppose I should shower myself," Cloud said.
"Go ahead," Yuffie insisted as she turned around. "I won't look. You were the last to get up. Everyone else has showered and is waiting for you."
"I'll wait until you're done," Cloud said.
"We're behind," Yuffie said. "Just strip while my back is turned. But if you peek at my butt, you're a dead man."
Cloud, not feeling like arguing, stripped off his clothes and got in the shower stall next to Yuffie's.
"Did you sleep well," she asked.
Cloud nodded. "Out of curiousity, how long?"
Yuffie shrugged her bare shoulders. "Seven, maybe eight hours?"
"Wow," said Cloud as he began to shampoo his hair. "I feel like I've been sleeping forever."
"At least you slept well," said Yuffie. "I'd high five you, but you'd probably accidentally see my boob."
OUTSIDE….
By the time Cloud had dressed and got outside, everyone was waiting for him.
For a while, there was silence. Nobody could think of anything appropriate to say. Then, someone broke the silence.
"Which way did that creep Sephiroth go?" Cid demanded.
"Sephiroth said to me 'head north, past the snow,'" Cloud replied.
"Well, then," announced Cid, "let's get the fucker before he does something really bad!"
At first, the landscape remained the same. The path led north through the giant seashells and coral. At one point, the path seemed to end, and they ended up climbing a stalk of coral as if it was a spiral staircase. That led to the interior of a giant, broken shell, which, in turn, let into the interior of a cave.
The cave had shiny luster, but the walls were cracked. The cave turned out to be a maze, requiring the group to climb to find their way through.
Yuffie noticed a mangled railroad track. "This was a mine at one point?"
"Probably," Cloud replied.
"Made by someone like us or one of those Ancient people?"
"That's one hell of a question," Cloud replied.
They eventually had to climb the mangled railroad. Beyond that, everyone could feel a draft of cold air.
"Why is it getting so cold all of a sudden?" asked Cait Sith.
"We're getting near the exit," replied Tifa from below.
"You okay?" asked Barret as he noticed she was at the bottom.
"I'm fine," Tifa replied.
"What are you doing at the bottom?" asked Red XIII.
"Because I don't want anyone looking up my skirt," she replied bluntly.
"Oh," muttered Red XIII.
"You're going commando?" asked Cid.
"No," replied Tifa. "You're just a big pervert."
"Guys," interrupted Cloud, who had reached the top. "Look!"
There was the exit to the cave. And there was snow surrounding it.
When everyone reached the top, they passed through. Outside, there was snow as far as the eye could see.
"Wow," Cloud whispered. He had never seen anything that majestic.
"You know what this reminds me of?" asked Tifa.
"Oh no," sighed Cloud. "Not that!"
"Yes," Tifa laughed wickedly. "That!"
"What?" asked Red XIII.
"When I was eight and Cloud was nine, I took him on a toboggan. I kind of forgot to tell him goggles would be a good idea, and he ended up getting snow in his eyes. He hated me for that!"
The snow was not too deep, but there was no pathway, save the mountain wall. The eight of them followed the wall to the north for what seemed like an eternity.
Gradually, the sun began to set, and the sky turned red.
"We could freeze to death at night up here," Vincent pointed out.
"No kidding," Cid said. "But I'm not about to buy it up here!"
"Stop worrying!" Tifa insisted. "Look!"
Cid and Vincent could see that she was pointing to what appeared to be a large building in the distance.
"That place better not be deserted," Yuffie said.
"It's not," Cloud replied. "Look. There's a light on inside. And smoke is coming from the chimney!"
Without any verbal agreement, the group made their way towards the bulding. When they got there, it seemed almost like a mansion. There was a sign that read "Lodge" above the door.
Without further ado, Cloud knocked on the door. The door was soon answered by an elderly gentleman.
"Can I help you folks?" he offered.
"This is a lodge, isn't it?" Cloud asked.
"Unless the sign's broken, yes," replied the man.
"How much to stay here?" asked Cloud.
"Well, how many of you are there?"
"Eight," replied Cloud.
"Fair enough," said the man. "Twenty gil a person."
"That's it?" asked the perplexed Cloud. "Why the generosity?"
"Because nobody comes out here anymore," the man replied. "Nobody's wanted to stay here. Not even that gray-haired oddball who came through here a few hours ago. I offered him a room, and he just walked by like he didn't even hear me!"
"Sephiroth!" exclaimed Tifa.
"You know that son of a bitch?"
"His days are numbered," Cloud said.
"Well, don't freeze yourselves!" he said. "Come on in!"
THAT NIGHT…
The lodge had a lobby downstairs, along with a pool room and a game room.
Cloud, meanwhile, was in the hot tub in the pool room. Everyone was exhausted and preferred to retire to their rooms, leaving Cloud to explore the facility on his own. The game room was small and only consisted of a pool table and a few arcade games and pinball machines. The lobby had a giant fireplace, but also had the front door, and the wind could be heard if you got too close to it.
So Cloud donned his black trunks and headed for the hot tub. The pool room was tranquil, and it was in the center of the lodge, thus the furthest away from the outdoor winter storm. Nobody would dare to bother him.
With one exception. Cloud suddenly heard the side door open. As he looked, he could see Tifa walking in.
"There you are!" she greeted. "I've been looking all over for you!"
"Everything okay?" asked Cloud.
"I'm fine," Tifa replied. "I just wanted to check on you."
"I'm doing okay," Cloud said.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Tifa asked.
Cloud shook his head.
And he was surprised. Anyone else certainly would be. But for some reason, she wasn't bothering him. In fact, he felt very welcoming of her. Perhaps it was because of the overtly long dream he had.
"It's so tempting," Tifa said, obviously directing her attention to the hottub.
Cloud, for reasons he still could not explain, was feeling more relaxed in Tifa's company. So he went ahead and said it. "It's big enough for both of us."
Tifa's eyes widened. "You're sure I wouldn't be imposing on you?"
Cloud shook his head. "Nope. You're welcome to join me."
Tifa smiled. "Great! I'd love to! I just need to get my bikini on and I'll be back."
TEN MINUTES LATER...
The now-bikini-clad Tifa lowered her body into the hot tub across from Cloud. "Ooh!" she exclaimed as she immersed herself in the hot water. "This feels so good! Can't believe there's a snowstorm going on outside!"
"Tell me about it," Cloud added. "It's been too long a day. My arms are tired out from all that climbing."
"Mine, too," Tifa said. "We'll all sleep good tonight."
"I just hope it's dreamless this time," Cloud replied.
"Don't tell me you had a nightmare last night," the concerned Tifa asked.
Cloud shook his head. "It wasn't really a nightmare, but..."
Tifa placed her hand on Cloud's bare shoulder. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," she insisted.
"I dreamt about our childhood," Cloud said. "Remember the time you stayed over without any parents knowing?"
Tifa began to laugh as she replaced her hand on her bare knee. "I remember. I got into so much trouble afterward, though!"
"I also dreamt about the time I got suspended for fighting, and the time you got suspended for kicking Johnny in the balls."
Tifa laughed again. "I'm the wrong girl to mess with."
"The funny thing was that it seemed so real, though it didn't take me too long to figure out that it wasn't," Cloud pointed out. "I wonder if it had something to do with the premonitions."
"Are you still having the premonitions?" asked Tifa.
"Occasionally," Cloud replied.
"Any idea what's going to happen next?"
"Not really," Cloud replied. "All I can feel is that we're approaching a town.
"We'll probably be in Icicle Inn by noon tomorrow," Tifa said. "Maybe that's it."
"Honestly," said Cloud, "I just want to stop Sephiroth before he reaches the North Pole."
"The North Pole can't be reached," Tifa said. "There's the Eternal Wind Barrier blocking it."
"But it's Sephiroth," Cloud reminded her.
"Sephiroth isn't a god," Tifa said. "This is the Eternal Wind Barrier. No human being has ever dared to venture into there. Shinra sent a few drones in, but none of them returned. Those winds will pick up anything and suck it up into oblivion."
"I guess," said Cloud. "But something tells me we're going to go through there."
"We'll see," said Tifa as she let out a yawn.
"You okay?" asked Cloud.
"I'm fine," she replied. "Just tired from the day. I think I'm about to pass out."
"I suppose that means we have to get out?"
"I'd rather not drown," Tifa laughed.
Cloud nodded, and climbed out of the hottub first. Then, before he could change his mind, he grabbed Tifa's hand and helped her out of the tub as well.
"Well, somebody's a gentleman!" Tifa complimented.
Cloud and Tifa dried themselves off. Tifa threw a tee shirt on and followed Cloud back to his room. When they got to the door, she gave him a look. It was one of those looks as if she had something to say.
"Cloud," began Tifa, "there's something I need to ask you."
"Go ahead," Cloud said.
"The end of the dream," Tifa began. "It was when my mother was killed, wasn't it."
Cloud nodded. "How did you guess?"
Tifa hesitated for a moment. Then she explained it. "I had the same dream."
"Really?!" Cloud exclaimed.
"What could this mean, Cloud?" asked his friend.
"Dunno," Cloud answered.
"Whatever it is, we'll get through this," Tifa said as she patted Cloud affectionately on the shoulder before backing to a neutral distance.
"Thanks," Cloud said.
"For what?" asked Tifa.
"For being my best friend."
Suddenly, Tifa felt her heart jump. "You still consider me your best friend?" she asked. "Even after all these years?"
Cloud nodded.
Tifa smiled as she turned and began to head towards her room.
Cloud smiled back. It was something he had to say.
"Hey Cloud," called Tifa before she disappeared around the corner.
"What's up?"
She smiled. "It's good to have my best friend back."
A moment later, Tifa was gone. Cloud inserted his key card into the slot, passed inside, closed the door behind him, and passed out on the bed.
It was a dreamless sleep this time.
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Premonitions: Uncut